Hey Sup Forums, I wasn't sure which board to post this on and thought Sup Forums was a good one. Pic related, tinnitus, and other hearing impairments. How to deal with them, is there treatment?
I've since a year been suffering from tinnitus, a constant ringing in my ear, and am trying to find anything that might work.
I don't think there's a medical treatment yet. If someone claims they can treat it its most likely a scam.
Maybe talk to a therapist to work on ignoring it and not obsessing over it. When you pay attention to the ringing it becomes louder - atleast for me.
I got mild tinnitus after a concert. For a long time i would obsess over the sound. I would expect to hear ringing in quiet circumstances and therefore i did. After a while those thoughts stopped and now i almost never notice it.
How does one stop obsessing over it? I have times that I barely notice it and can ignore it perfectly and it bothers me, but there's also times at which it sounds twice as hard. I find it difficult to block out at those times at which the obsession starts again.
There is no treatment because it's a mental condition, not a hearing one, even though it's commonly caused by hearing loss. Most people experience tinnitus to some degree, so you kinda just have to get used to it. If it's really annoying you just turn a fan on or something. Alternatively put on some headphones and listen to rain sounds on youtube, or even tinnitus cancelling tones
Idk what to tell you man. For a while i was very upset about the ringing, and was certain it was gonna bother me for the rest of my life. I guess try telling yourself it isnt the end of the world. Most likely you will have some other hardships in your life that can put it in perspective. You might have it worse than me, but i can tell you for me - the amount it bothered me was strongly related to my thoughts about it. Just from writing in this thread now im noticing for the first time in a looong while.
There was even a time before i had actual tinnitus where i would obsess over a high pitch sound in my ear. All humans have a slight tone in their ears - it has some evolutionary purpose i believe. As a young boy i noticed this, the more i thought about it and paid attention to it, the louder it got.
Also it's probably not a bad idea to see an audiologist - he/her probably have some ideas and experience on the subject. Tinnitus can actually be caused by other things than ear damage - like tension in your neck.
I think a big part of the psychological trauma for me was that i felt guilty and that i should've known better. This guilt let go after a while.
In my right ear i can feel a slight pain when listening to certain frequencies at moderate volume. At first i was very upset about it, thought i wouldn't be able to enjoy music the same way as before. Now i try to think positively about it - because it hurts i stay away from super high volumes and maybe this can keep me from having more advanced hearing impairments especially as i grow old.
I have moderate to severe tinnitus from working on jet aircraft. There is no treatment. The best way I've found to deal with it is diversion. I almost always have a TV or Stereo on, so it seems less. That is until I get a pop that drowns out the background and lasts about five minutes. Loud things seem to make it worse too. I forgot my plugs and rode the tractor out to mow, and when I came in and turned on the tv way too loud my wife asked if I wore my plugs, she knew before I did.
I haven't listened to music loudly over the years, but I have consistently listened to music for extended periods of time.
I've always had a slight high pitched squeal in complete silence, but only this year have I noticed it getting a bit more intense.
I'm only 22...
Try convincing yourself that it will get better if you stop obsessing. Its actually really interesting how just writing in this thread is making me notice ringing. A thought popped into my head that maybe ive damaged my ears while i was out listening to music earlier today - but i know better and know now its 99% a state of mind thing.
Idk it might actually just be your brain playing a trick on you. Placebo can have VERY strong and convincing effects. Or maybe it's caused by something else than hearing damage and is fixable.
I actually almost regret posting in this cus its ringing now and im actually like semi worried. Believe me man the brain is kinda fucked up like that.
We can't remove the sound as it were no (as these sounds are not pathological in and of themselves, in fact everyone has them to a degree) but one uses cognitive techniques known as Tinnitus Retraining Therapy or one can use technological aids, such as noise generators and so on.
This of course presupposes that it is indeed tinnitus (i.e. experience of sound without pathology), as it can be a symptom of a variety of otological and neurological disorders, which is something you would have to rule out first.
Aight this guy is smarter than me listen to him :D
It could also be worth noting that there are experimental treatments with MR technology or SSRIs that are producing results, but it is not commonly offered, and especially with SSRIs the side effects may be worse than the actual result.
TRT works for most, and is always the most prefered treatment option.
Got it mixed with sudden hearing loss in my left ear at the same time when I woke up in the morning a month and a half ago.
I knew something was wrong and even thought correctly that it was legit hearing loss but people tried to tell me it was just plugged or an infection, I also didn't have insurance to go to the doctor, or the money. Ended up going after 5 weeks and turned out I was right. About to take my last dose of these steroids that did nothing. Gonna go for a follow up in two days and do a hearing test.
If I went in those first three days when I was freaking out I probably could have saved the hearing mostly.
Kind of hard to offer much help over the internet, but could you attempt to describe the extent of the hearing loss? Is it primarily in the lower frequency range or higher frequency range you experience hearing loss? Do you have special trouble with speech (in particular voiceless consonants (s, th, f etc.))? Do you experience any dizziness, pain or feelings of congestion?
I got it a year and a half ago from standing next to a speaker for a whole gig without ear plugs like a retard. I barely ever even notice it or think about it by now though.
The only reason you are "suffering" from tinnitus is that you're focused on it and wishing it would go away. Consider the fact that your brain is filtering out data it sees as unimportant all the time, including sounds. Once you accept that it's never going away, it's not a threat, and that you shouldn't bother worrying about it, eventually it becomes just another thing that your brain filters out. Whenever I think about it now, it's as though it just turned on, like it wasn't even there anymore until I thought about it.
I only notice it when it's silent. I need to have a ceiling fan on when I go to sleep to drown it out
See an audiologist instead of asking a swazilandian skiing site.
Right ear is completely fine so I can hear pretty normally. If I put headphones on and only have audio coming through my right ear, it's really faint at the loudest, and sounds almost robotic. Same with putting a phone to it, can only hear ringing or voice if I really try.
If I'm in a loud place like a bar it can be uncomfortable at times and feel like buzzing but it's not unbearable.
>only have audio coming through my right ear
I mean my left war. Right ear, good. Left ear, bad.
Might seem like a dumb question, but did you hit your head or something similar before it started?
No. Only interesting thing is the night before I went out and got super drunk and it was freezing temps but the doctor didn't seem to think that was interesting as well as she laughed it off.
I remember everything that night up to the moment I went to sleep though, and nothing bad happened. I am sure of that.
hypnosis
biofeedback pain management
same
Hm. I obviously can't tell you that much without seeing you in person and being able to do some preliminary testing, but it seems you might have tinnitus (obviously) and some degree of a phenomenon called "recruitment", which suggests some manner of damage to your cochlea, though again, I need to see and test.
Do as says, especially if you have trouble with speech and in loud/non-ideal listening conditions.
This is the doctor's title that I went to.
-Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose & Throat) Specialist
How much would seeing an audiologist cost. Money is an issue here.
Looked up recruitment and that definitely seems to be something I have. What the hell man, sudden hearing loss, tinnitus, and recruitment all at once? Crazy.
An audiologist is a specialist on disorders of the hearing & balance organ, and the sense of hearing in particular. They possess knowledge that Otorhinolaryngologists do not possess themselves, and most thus work in conjuction with them.
I unfortunately can't give you any sort of estimate in terms of price, as that varies from country to country. If you saw a doctor at a hospital, there is surely at least one audiologist working there as well.
Is this something that I can put off or the longer I wait the worse?
I know that if you catch it very early on you can fix it but I believe I'm far beyond that point by now.
np.reddit.com
Sorry for the reddit link but the issue seemed important, i had saved the link just in case i ever got tinnitus, so there you go user
That completely depends on what your diagnosis is, I can't really tell you anything over the internet.
If you do have some kind of permanent hearing loss however, an audiologist is also the person you see with regards to strategies for management and eventual hearing aid fitting.
Don't hearing aids sound robotic though? I think I rather live without it then with, I can hear well enough as it is. The tinnitus is much more annoying.
No, not anymore as far as I know, the reproduction of sound is quite excellent (the only thing is some may experience echoes, usually those with sloping hearing loss) and of course, as it is unilateral you may experience some trouble with directionality and temporality of sound.
Of course, if you don't feel like it is a major obstacle, there is no need to get one. I would however advice you to get your hearing and ears checked, it is good to know what it is that causes the symptoms you are experiencing.
For tinnitus, look into TRT, that is always the preferred solution.
I guess I will think about it. If it works the same then I would want one. Hopefully it's not too expensive. Do you know if my ear are more at risk and I need to be more sensitive with it now? Is going to a concert out of the question?
If you listen to music really loudly in headphones stop now. Make sure to do the same for speakers because they will trick you and make you think your listening is not that loud when it is (any volume under half in my experience is good). Try to avoid loud sounds in general. Really helped me out a lot. The recovery isn't immediate btw.
Also you triggered my Tinnitus thanks a lot op
Sorry, I can't really tell you anything about that without examining you properly.
It is of course always a good idea to protect your ears whenever you can.
Well thanks man, this talk was a definite help. I appreciate it. It can be really depressing when I let it get to me but I'm holding out hope their will be medical advancements. I heard this is becoming a major issue with young people.
Yes it is apparently becoming more and more prevalent.
For tinnitus specifically, cognitive techniques (TRT) is the most important step in management. Getting an assessment from an audiologist is often a good step in this process as getting diagnosed is a good way to releave stress (and thus tinnitus experience)
Well I'm gonna have my follow up appointment Thursday morning, and go from there.
How does that treatment work?
It is really just techniques for teaching you how to manage stress and to teach you to ignore the sound, we have the ability to sort and ignore sounds according to importance.
You can read more here, it's a little basic, but it covers what you need to know as a patient.
en.wikipedia.org
Good luck with your treatment!
Thanks again
Got my tinnitus because my left headphone broke and i ended up listening to music only with the right one for ~10hrs a day for a couple months.
after that time i remembered that listening with one ear promotes way higher volume.
It sucks because i can always compare the silence in my left ear and the screeching in my right one.
I also went to a bunch of moderately loud concerts without earplugs. My left ear has little to no tinnitus so i don't think it's done much damage.